The IPO represents, protects and promotes the interests of independent South African film, television and digital media producers and, in turn, all who work in and are suppliers to the industry value chain.

TRAINING & SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Training and Skills Development

The IPO’s Diversity and Skills subcommittee works in the area of skills development for industry practitioners at all levels of he industry, from the mentorship of existing film students and interns to further professional development of veteran producers. One of the key focus areas for 2022 is the development of a professional designation for the producer role with the assistance of SACIA. To get more information on this and other initiatives please contact ad***********@ip*.za.">ad***********@ip*.za.

Further resources that are useful in the area of training and skills are as follows:

Film Industry Learner Mentorship programme (F.I.L.M.)

Film Mentorship & Training T/A the Film Industry Learner Mentorship programme (F.I.L.M.) is a non-profit Section 18(a) Public Benefit Organization (PBO) started by Film Afrika in 2006. Working in partnership with leading Cape film production and servicing companies such as Film Afrika, Moonlighting Films, Do Productions, Two Oceans Productions, Spier Films, Homebrew Films, Penguin & Paw Paw Films and many others, they offer a coordinated industry platform providing unit-standard aligned certified learning programmes and hands-on experiential learning under mentorship, training and skills development in the South African film, television, commercials & digital industries. Visit website>>

NFVF Education and Training Funding 

In order to stimulate and advance skills development, meet the current needs of industry, and to ensure the industry’s future growth and competitiveness, the NFVF provides funding for national bursaries, international bursaries and grants to organisations that offer training and development programmes which are related to audio-visual industry   Visit website>>

iKasi Creative Media

iKasi Media presents skills training and development programmes in rural communities for the film, television and digital media industry in the Garden Route, West Coat and Eastern Cape. They offer unique, 5-day orientation programmes in the creative industry for youth in small towns. The team partners with funders in order to bring the 5-day programme to grade 11’s during one of their breaks and 18 to 35-year-olds who have their Matric. iKasi Creative programmes equip youth with skills in digital media that are relevant and immediately empowering – bridging the digital divide in rural communities.

How can IPO members get involved?

  • We’d like to partner with production companies to sponsor a learner. We have a strong focus on entrepreneurship and aim to have learners who complete our programmes stay in their hometowns – as entrepreneurs or filling digital media marketing positions in local businesses. Your contributions will go towards the full cycle of the learner development.
  • Your contribution can be allocated to your BBBEE obligations, we are eligible for accredited and unaccredited Skills Development spend or Enterprize Development spend. We are also a public benefit organisation and can issue an 18A certificate for your donation.
  • iKasi Creative hosts bi-monthly online workshops called The Spark Sessions for our rural youth network – it is also an open platform. We are always looking for new mentors who want to give back in this way, so please contact us.
  • We would also like to reach out to producers who are on location with productions in rural areas to please contact us. We’ve found there are more and more productions taking place out of the city centres and we can assist to make up your interns and trainees from some of these areas (Eastern Cape, West Coast, Garden Route).

Visit website>>

Reel Partners

Based in Cape Town, Reel Partners is a film industry initiative proudly co-produced by IPO member Deidré Rosenberg and Karabo Likhethe. Reel Partners works with production companies as a collaborative skills development initiative. Reel Partners was founded in 2015 with a skills training programme that offers practical workshops, trainee productions and mentorships by experienced directors and producers who possess a passion for personal and professional development in the film industry. Visit website >>

Free Film School

Free Film School is a film and arts education co-operative, that aims to provide alternative, accessible and de-colonised skills-sharing between established and aspiring filmmakers, writers, artists and activists in South Africa. Since launching in 2019 with a series of screenings and workshops across the Greater Cape Town Area, FFS transitioning into an online platform during the pandemic, creating Lockdown Film School – an Africa-centred resource of practical skills and theory for filmmakers. In 2021, FFS co-hosted the Queer Writers Incubator with Femme Projects – a training and mentorship lab for emerging, queer writers of colour.

In 2022 FFS aims to re-orient towards its original intention: creating a community hub for ongoing, holistic, sustainable education in the long term. Partnering with Bertha House, we will be creating a curriculum of weekly, in-person workshops, classes, screenings and networking events, with the aim of creating an engaged creative community and sourcing both employment and mentorship opportunities for those without access. FFS is currently managed by IPO member Jenna Cato Bass, Qondiswa James and Babalwa Baartman and will be opening for wider membership as a Voluntary Association in 2022. Visit website >>

KwaZulu Natal Film Commission Human Capital Development

The Human Capital Development Department aims to develop and implement programmes for skills development and industry support. Human Capital takes various forms including programmes that redress the current skills shortage by creating new skills in the film and television value chain that to ensure competitiveness in the region. These programmes aim to enhance the capabilities of the local filmmakers to increase the KwaZulu-Natal local content on the South African and International distribution platforms with the vision to sustainable employment in the KZN film and television sector. Current interventions drive transformation, diversification and service excellence through skills development in the local film industry. Visit website>>

MICT SETA

The Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) is responsible for skills development in the Advertising, Electronic Media and Film, Electronics, Information Technology and Telecommunications sectors and their subsectors. The MICT sector comprises of 160 Large companies, 342 Medium companies and 2,785 Small levy-paying companies. Visit website>>.